


Primroses

by BarnaboysWilloughby (SheriffsLop)



Series: Happy Ending! AU [1]
Category: The Willoughbys, The Willoughbys (2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Boba Tea, Car rides, College, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Found Family, Future Fic, Happy Ending! AU, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Milk Tea, Moving In Together, Multi, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Siblings, Stargazing, Toxic Relationships, Unhealthy Relationships, bubble tea, oh my god they were roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:08:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheriffsLop/pseuds/BarnaboysWilloughby
Relationships: Barnaby A Willoughby & Barnaby B Willoughby & Jane Willoughby & Tim Willoughby, Barnaby A Willoughby/Original Female Character(s), Barnaby A Willoughby/Original Male Character(s), Jane Willoughby & Ruth, Jane Willoughby & Tim Willoughby, Jane Willoughby/ Original Male Character(s) (Past), Linda | Nanny/Commander Melanoff (The Willoughbys), Ruth & The Barnabys, Tim Willoughby & Ruth, Tim Willoughby/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Happy Ending! AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2203170
Kudos: 3





	Primroses

┏ ┐

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣  𝕆𝕟𝕖 :

𝒫𝓁𝓊𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒶

└ ┛

The sun was setting along the horizon of the  Melanoff factory and Jane sat on the front porch with a soda can she pulled from the fridge. Everyone in their little family was at the party, as well as a few friends of family, such as their Granny Jolene (  Melanoff’s momma, who they’d met a little while after they were adopted – she flew all the way from Maryland, so it was quite the treat to see  her ) , Fannie Martinelli  ( A. ’s current girlfriend . . . Jane didn’t like her that  much ) , Queen  ( Tim’s girlfriend, who Jane openly loathed, but had to tolerate, according to  Nanny ) , Tim’s best friends, Annie and Cate, as well as her best friends, Nikki and Andrea, with their boyfriends, Paul and Smith.

She sipped some of the Angel Kiss Cola in the can before she heard the screen door open. She looked to see Tim sit on the porch next to her, before she scooted over and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey,” she said.

“ Whatcha ’  doin ’ out here ?” he asked. “Granny Jolene’s asking why you ran away from the party.”

“I didn’t run away,” Jane laughed. “Just came out to watch the sun set.”

“I’m surprised you’re not out back with the twins, Annie, Cate, Andrea, Nikki, and their guys,” Tim mentioned. “They’re playing ‘Soda Pong’.”

“I’m surprised your lips aren’t suction cupped to Queen’s ass,” Jane teased. “Where is she, anyways ?”

“She took a rideshare to her family’s place,” he answered. “Didn’t want to be here much longer, misses her mom, all that.”

“Sorry she’s like that,” Jane sighed. “She must be so much worse back in Boston – I mean, you guys were a day late coming back up here, we missed you when we went to Tasty Tortellini’s yesterday. I was just watching A. play games on the tablet they give you . . . I missed you.”

“So . . . you want to go to Lollitea ?” Tim asked. “We could  spilt for a little, talk to Missus Wang, make up for lost  time ? I’m sure Nanny won’t mind, since I wasn’t at dinner last night.”

“Let’s go,” he encouraged.

He reached into his pocket and took his keys out before they both walked to the car. Jane pulled out her phone to text Nanny that they were leaving for a little bit, but they’d be back soon. She got into Tim’s new shiny, red hatchback before she put her soda in his drink carrier.

He started the car and backed out of the place he was parked before he started to drive off the factory’s property and into the city once again.

“It’s nice to see everyone together again,” Tim mentioned. “Like, Annie, Cate, Andrea, Nikki – everyone together in one place again. Makes me miss home again.”

“Oh, so you didn’t miss  me ? ” Jane laughed. 

“You’re acting like we didn’t call almost every single day,” he teased. “ But, you’re the reason we came up here in the first place – it was awesome to see you graduate, valedictorian, nonetheless. I never really thought about us graduating when we first started going to school, but now, we’re all going to be out of school soon. Next, it’s the twins, and after that it’s Ruth. After Ruth, it’s over until we all have kids of our own.”

“Until you have kids of your own,” Jane corrected. “I’m not sure I want any.”

“Well, think about the twins -” Tim claimed.

“I hope A. doesn’t have kids with Fannie,” Jane insisted. “. . . I have a feeling she’s cheating on him anyways.”

“Why do you say that ?” Tim asked. “I don’t think you’re wrong, but . . . do you have any reason as to why you think that ?”

“I feel like I saw her out with someone else,” Jane recalled. “He looked an awful lot like Troy, but I don’t really like to think about him that much.”

“It’s over now, Jane,” Tim reassured. “After we went and broke his windows in -”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jane insisted.

“Okay, okay,” he soothed. “I get it.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Sorry, it’s just -”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he reassured. “Bad memories suck, bad people suck.”

“Thank you,” she said.

She smiled at him and scrunched her nose slightly, before they pulled into the  Lollitea parking space that they normally took, before they got out of the car and walked up to the shop. The little bell chimed as they walked inside, where there were a few customers left, sipping on their teas, looking through their phones, talking about their days, as Missus Wang and her nephew, were checking in and tending to them.

Missus Wang’s demeanor seemed to perk up as she saw Tim and Jane enter the door as she rushed to greet them. She brushed off her apron before she wrapped the two Willoughby siblings in a hug before she pulled away.

“Tim,  Jane !! It’s wonderful to see you here,” she greeted. “Did you  graduate ? ”

“Valedictorian,” Jane answered.

“I never expected less from a smart girl like you,” Missus Wang mentioned. “Are you back here for the  graduation ? How’s your girlfriend ?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t miss it for the world,” Tim exclaimed. “And she’s doing well, busy with school. We both kind of  are ,  you know ?”

“Harvard is no joke,” Missus Wang agreed. “My nephew, Caleb, wants to get into Cornell’s nursing program, and he has to get a perfect GPA to at least get accepted – there is still time, he’s only a sophomore, but we still want him to work hard. He is a smart  boy, he deserves a good job.”

“It’s never too early to get started on planning for college,” Tim insisted. “I was already thinking about it during my Freshman year, I figured out what I wanted to be and I’m working super hard to get there.”

“He’s a Law major,” Jane pointed out. “It’s one of the most  _ boring  _ major’s I’ve looked into.”

“Are you going to college,  Jane ? ” Missus Wang asked.

“Well, yeah, of course,” Jane laughed. “I feel like it’d be great to have a degree. It might be beneficial for me in the long run. I’ve heard that some jobs pay more when you have one.”

“Well, I like to think that for a first - generation immigrant without a degree, I’m doing pretty good for myself,” Missus Wang commented. “ But, I did have great help along the way. Who knows how long I would’ve stayed open if you hadn’t helped me with a Pictogram ?”

“I’m really glad it worked out,” Jane claimed. “I couldn’t imagine that one of my favorite drink spots in town had to close because they didn’t have the right resources.”

“Hey, I was the one that suggested doing commercials,” Tim reminded.

“And what a bright idea that was,” Jane shaded.

“Shut up,” he laughed.

“Do you two want your  regulars ? ” Missus Wang asked.

“Yes, please,” Tim answered.

“I will be right back,” Missus Wang dismissed. “Feel free to take your seat.”

The two siblings went to their normal spot in the shop, before they looked out at the street to see the passing people and how much the streets had changed since their high school years, now they didn’t have to look across the street to see that eyesore of a Pizzaria that Troy’s family used to own. It has since shut down due to health code violations and now Troy’s pizza legacy had crumbled, thankfully.

“It’s nice to see that  Cheeserino’s is out of there,” Tim mentioned. “I think that the vegan place that’s in there now really suits the building more. Have you been inside there yet ?”

“I got a black bean burger with Nikki from there,” Jane answered. “It’s not too bad, but nothing beats a cheeseburger and waffle fries from Ham Bros..”

“I can agree with you there,” Tim said. “I love when I come home from work and get myself a hamburger and onion rings from there. It’s not like Queen’s around to cook much anymore.”

“ Anymore ? ” Jane questioned.

She watched as he tensed up at her question, as if he didn’t mean to say what he did. He looked away from her and cleared his throat.

“Y - Yeah,” he said.

“What do you mean ?” she asked. “I thought you two were living together ?”

“We were,” he said. “But . . . we’re kind of going through a rough patch right now. She thinks distance might be able to help us out a little. It really changes when people start to live together. The relationship loses the spark in a way.”

“Yeah, but you guys only lived together for one year -” Jane reminded.

“Semester,” he corrected. “We . . . haven’t lived together for six months. It’s fine though, really.”

“Doesn’t it get  lonely ? ” Jane asked.

“Well, sure,” he agreed. “I miss being able to snuggle with my girlfriend when we did, or watching shows together, cooking in the kitchen. It didn’t happen often, but still, it was nice to have someone to come home to, even if that someone seemed to be indifferent to your  presence .”

“Would you ever get another  roommate ? ” Jane asked.

“Depends on who it is,” he  said. “I don’t think it’d look good if I had another girl as a roommate, especially because it’s a one - bedroom apartment. I wouldn't want Queen to get the wrong idea.”

Jane bit her cheek at his response, before he quickly changed the subject.

“So, you’re going to college ?” he asked. “Where did you decide to go ?”

“Well, I got accepted to a lot of places.” Jane mentioned. “But, there’s one that I really have my sights on, and I’m planning on enrolling as soon as I can. I’m majoring in Business.”

“What  college ? ” he asked.

“I’ll show you when we get home,” she said. “For now, let’s just enjoy our boba.”

“I mean, if you’re enrolling in California somewhere, it’d be cool to be able to visit the beaches,” Tim mentioned. “If you got accepted into Harvard, then you could live close by, or . . .  y’know . . . with me ?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want Queen to get the wrong idea,” Jane teased.

“You’re my sister,” he mentioned. “There’s no ideas she could get.”

“I don’t doubt she’d try and use it against me,” Jane sighed. “ But, it’d be worth it – it would be like . . . back to normal in away, just us again.”

“Since when has it just been  us ? ” he laughed.

“Well, when we were living with Mother and Father -” Jane started.

She brushed a strand of hair from her face that she tucked behind her ear, before she propped her chin up with her hand as she rested her elbow on the table.

“It was like . . . the  Barnabys always had  eachother , and then Ruth always wanted to play more with them when she got older,” she mentioned. “I guess, it was always us – I mean, you were like, my best friend, even through high school. Sure, I had Nikki and Andrea, but . . . you were always there for me.”

“You’re my sister,” he insisted. “I’ll always be there for you. Sure, I was a jerk when we were kids -”   
“Oh yeah, you were a grade – A. dipshit when we were kids,” she laughed. “But, at least, you were looking out for us. Who knows where we would’ve ended up without you, cosmos knows that I wouldn’t be able to take care of the Barnabys by myself . . .”

“Jane, you’re strong,” he encouraged. “You would’ve figured something out. You were the one that took Ruth in.”

“But you were there,” she reminded. “You helped, even though you didn’t want to.”

“How did you make it a year without  me ? ” he teased.

“Called you every day, texted you every day,  videochatted every day,” Jane answered. “I’d die of separation anxiety if I didn’t get to do that.”

“Drama, drama, drama,” he chuckled. “You’d be able to make it far without me, not that I’d ever want a life without you in it.”

“But everything’s better with you,” she insisted. “You’re . . . you make my life better, whether you try to or not. I know things wouldn’t be the same. They haven’t been the same since you’ve left. I’ve missed you, so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” he agreed. “It would be nice, if you decided to move to  Massachusetts , and start going to Harvard. They have a Music program, theatre, you could pursue art as a minor degree at least.”

“I think I’m sticking with business,” Jane answered. “I want to start my own business sooner or later. It’s been a dream of mine since Freshman year, so starting my own business in my adult years would be good.”

“Business ?” he asked. “Music store ?”

“Wedding dresses,” she laughed. “A music store would be nice, but I wouldn’t want to end up like a washed – up old wallflower, with dreams of something bigger that I couldn’t accomplish. I love wedding dresses, they’re gorgeous, even though I can’t see myself getting married. I guess I just like helping other women find dresses that make themselves feel good on the best day of their lives.”

“Well, I guess I see where you’re coming from,” Tim agreed. “I wanted to be an author in middle school, but sitting down and writing was harder than I thought.  There’s some things I’d just . . . rather not look back on. I want to look forward with my life, and I already know that I’ll have a steady job with the factory when I graduate, since  Melanoff’s esquire is retiring the same year. It would be better than filing everyone else’s paperwork and answering phone calls all day.”

“That’s why I want to be my own boss,” Jane claimed. “Then everyone else will have to answer my phone calls for me and file all of my paperwork. I just have to keep track of the finances, make sure everyone working for me is doing their job.”

“That’s a good look on the bright side,” he claimed. “I’m glad to see that coming back to you.”

“Well, since everything with Troy happened, I’ve been able to see some sort of light in this world again,” she explained. “. . . Thanks for helping me with that.”

“I’m glad that idiot left you alone after it all,” he agreed. “You deserved better, still do, but I know you’re not really looking due to  your . . . thing ?”

“Being  asexual ? ” she laughed. “You can say it.”

“Yeah, the asexual thing,” he managed. “I haven’t met a lot of them.”

“We’re out there,” Jane claimed. “Some might even be closer than you think, for  example . . .”

She motioned at herself, as if she were presenting herself to him, which she was. 

He took her coming out way better than she thought he would – everyone did. Her panic about letting this part of her out seemed . . .  _ stupid  _ now. She was happy that she came out before A., so he knew he was coming out in a safe, warm, and loving environment when he told the family that he is bisexual. She was the trailblazer in showing how these Willoughby kids really are a different set. They weren’t their Great Uncle Edmund, or their Great Grandpa Phineas, but they were the ones to start to give the family their footing again, after their parents had lost and sullied their great Willoughby name so much. It was going to be hard to live up to that, and maybe they won’t be the generation that will, but she would never try and dull Tim’s faith that they were doing amazing, especially due to their circumstances.

He laughed and shook his head at her.

Missus Wang came back with their boba teas, and two moon cakes ( on the house, ever since Jane helped Missus Wang save the business all those years ago ) that were red bean and white lotus flavored.

“Enjoy,” she dismissed. “There’s a lot of business coming in at these hours, nighttime treats.”

“Good luck, Missus Wang,” Tim said.

They popped their straws into the plastic lids of the cups before they started to sip on their drinks and switch between eating their moon cakes, before they cleaned up their table and Tim went to pay for their drinks. Jane walked outside and got back into the car, before she looked at her phone and saw that Nikki had sent her a few videos of herself, the twins, Andrea, Fannie, Ruth, and both  her’s and Andrea’s boyfriends as they played Soda Pong on the ping pong ball table they’d pull out for family events.

The door to the driver’s side opened and shut as Tim got in to drive them back to the property to join the party once again. He turned the car on and reached for the clutch to start driving but she grabbed his hand and stopped him before he could. She interlocked their fingers, before she pulled his hand closer to her.

“ What ? ” he chuckled.

“Why do we  gotta go back  now ? ” she asked.

“Do you want to stay away from everyone for your graduation  party ? ” he asked.

“We haven’t spent time like this together since my birthday last year,” she mentioned. “I just want to spend a little more time with you, away from everyone else.”

“Well, what do you  wanna do ?” he asked. “I feel like everyone might start wondering where we are if we don’t head home soon.”

“They’re having fun without us,” Jane insisted. “What’s the  rush ? We haven’t spent time together like this since my birthday, last year. I’ve  _ missed  _ you.”

“I mean, I’ve missed you too,” he agreed. “I’d just hate to keep them waiting.”

“Don’t worry about them,” she urged. “Let’s just go to the countryside, the stars might be out tonight.”

“Good idea,” he agreed. “I’d rather get out of this space before the parking meter runs out of time. I don’t really have the money for a parking ticket.”

He pulled out of the parking space and started to drive out towards the outskirts of the city, where the wheat fields started, distant mooing of dairy cows from the “Johnson Family Dairy Ranch”  ( luckily they were far enough away not to smell . . .  _ manure  _ ) could be heard, and the beaming lights of the “City That Never Sleeps” seemed to dull. They leaned back in the chairs, as Tim rolled back the sunroof. They could see twinkles of white stars in the sky and Jane reached back for Tim’s hand before she clutched it against her chest.

“ Y’know, that most of the stars we see are already  dead ? ” he asked.

“That’s not true,” she corrected. “They’re just . . . very old, about to die. They’re huge, bright, fueled by gas that is making them expand to be billions of times bigger than our sun so one day it can explode, expel gas and make new stars out of their old dust.”

“Nerd,” he teased.

“Shut up,” she laughed. “It’s not like I wanted to retain that information. I needed the science credit, astronomy seemed way less boring than chemistry.”

“It probably is,” he agreed. “Chemistry is really boring. I would almost fall asleep in that class. It didn’t help that my teacher would keep the lights dimmed in there.”

“Missus  Cantrell ? ” she asked.

“Yup,” he agreed. “I mean, she was an epileptic, and I’d rather have a dark room than a teacher seizing on the ground due to something that she could help.”

“I wouldn’t have minded having a period off,” Jane muttered.

“ _ Jane _ ,” he scolded.

“ What ? ” she asked. “I have a point.”

“I mean, yeah,” he said. “But, still.”

They were quiet, before Jane heard a soft guitar from the radio and started to hum along to the melody that came from the speakers, before she sang along quietly to the lyrics.

“ **_ Hey, little girl, is your daddy  _ ** **_ home ? _ ** **_ Did he go and leave you all  _ ** **_ alone ? _ ** **_ I got a bad desire . . . whoa – oh – oh, I’m on  _ ** **_ fire . _ ** **_ . . _ ** ”

“What’s this song ?” he asked.

“‘I’m On Fire’,” she answered.

She continued after the small beat of instrumentals in the song stopped and the lyrics returned.

“ **_ Tell me now, baby, is he good to  _ ** **_ you ? _ ** **_ Can he do to you the things that I’d  _ ** **_ do ? _ ** **_ Oh  _ ** **_ no . _ ** **_ . . I can take you  _ ** **_ higher . _ ** **_ . . whoa – oh – oh, I’m on fire . . . _ ** ”

“Where’d you hear this song from ?” he asked.

“Troy’s room,” she answered. “My first kiss.”

“ Romantic ? ” he questioned.

“This was the most romantic part,” she giggled. “He did not know what he was doing. It was like, he was a puppy and I was a lid of a peanut butter jar.”

She joined back in with the lyrics as they faded back into the song.

“ **_ Sometimes it’s like someone took a night, baby, edgy and dull, and cut a  _ ** **_ six inch _ ** **_ valley though the middle of my  _ ** **_ skull . _ ** **_ . . at night, I wake up with the sheets soaking wet, and a freight train  _ ** **_ runnin _ ** **_ ’ though the middle of my head – whoa – oh – oh, I’m on fire . . . _ ** ”

The lyrics then faded into some soft singing from the radio that she allowed to happen without her  assistence . She turned onto her side and held her head up with her elbow as Tim shifted to match her position.

“Did you ever just do this with Queen ?” she asked.

“Not really,” he answered. “I always felt like this was kind of our thing. Besides, she didn’t really like to listen to music in the car. She found it more distracting than anything.”

“I’d rather her not crash the car if you’re in it,” she said. “But . . . it’s nice that you were thinking about me while you were down in Boston.”

“I always am,” he chuckled. “I’ve missed you just about as much as you say you’ve missed me.”

“Impossible,” she said. “You couldn’t even come close to how much I’ve missed you.”

“No, no, that’s impossible,” he insisted. “Trust me, if I could duct tape my phone to my ear and talk to you all day, I would.”

“I always set the table as if you were here,” she laughed. “If you had any cool  shirts you left behind, I would’ve worn them, but  like . . . our aesthetics don’t match. Light  Academia isn’t really my style.”

“Light Academia ?” he asked.

“Like, you look at a lawyer that’s running on coffee that frequents book stores and libraries,” she explained. “But like, make it cute instead of sleep deprived.”

“Well, some days I am sleep deprived,” he claimed. “It’s hard to go to sleep without someone there. I mean, I know that it was cramped in my apartment, and Queen wasn’t a small woman, but I missed sleeping in the same bed with someone, watching movies with someone before bed . . . it’s lonely.”

“It’s lonely here too,” she agreed. “It’s like, everyone has their own thing going on. Ruth has her ballet, B. has the robotics club, A. has Fannie. Some days my default is just staying with Nanny, going to fabric stores, watching baking competitions. I miss doing things with you.”

“I miss doing things with you too . . .” he agreed.

“Remember when I’d study in your room, and then we’d both fall asleep on your bed,” she reminisced. “I liked those nights, they were warm, and comfy.”

“They were, weren’t  they ? ” he asked.

“I miss that,” she said.

“Me too.”

They both looked at the clock on the radio, before they both referenced the time.

“We should head back,” he suggested. “Just so we don’t have to hear Nikki, Nanny, and Granny Jolene complain about how we ditched your own party.”

“Fine, fine,” she sighed. “But you better not leave three rounds into soda pong to go and console your girlfriend that doesn’t want to be here.”

“I promise, I won’t,” he reassured. “I’ll stay for a little bit longer, at least until Queen blows up my phone.”

“I have something to show you when we get back though,” Jane claimed. “So don’t try and run off as soon as we get there.”

“Jeez, you really are in a ‘ball and chain’ mood tonight, aren’t  you ? ” he laughed.

“You’ll like this surprise,” she insisted. “I promise.”

“I’m not helping you build a bookshelf you got off the internet,” he said.

“It’s not a bookshelf,” she said. “I’m surprised to hear that, coming from the guy who looks like a hungover History professor that would’ve rather called into work today instead of sitting in a study hall with a bunch of hungover twenty – somethings.”

“Well, you look like an emo chick that decided to spray yourself in neon paint and roll around in a junkyard, if we’re going after  eachother’s style choices,” he commented.

“It’s called having an aesthetic,” Jane claimed. “Besides, I’m not the only one who looks like this.”

“I know,” he sighed. “It’s like every high school girl with daddy issues on that one lip – sync app looks like this.”

“I do not have daddy issues,” she laughed. “ Melanoff and I have a pretty good relationship that is . . . normal, I’d say.”

“Well, you look like a girl that does,” he snorted.

“And you still look like a hungover History professor,” she said.

“Touche,” he said.

They finally pulled back into the gates of the factory and drove behind the factory to park at the house  Melanoff had behind everything. The ducks could be heard honking in the rainbow liquid lake, and some waddled in and out of the wheat fields, before they checked around Tim’s car for anything resembling food.

Jane lead him back inside, before she called down the stairs to let the adults know that they were home and they’d join everyone back outside in a minute.

Tim peeked into the French doors that lead to the back porch, where he saw Fannie, A., Ruth, and B. on one side of the ping pong table, while Nikki, Andrea, Paul, and Smith were on the other side as Nikki launched a ping pong ball into one of the plastic cups on the other side.

“You  coming ? ” she asked.

“Yeah,” he answered.

Tim followed her to her room, where he looked to see that she was packing her boxes up, quite possibly to move to her college campus in a few months. He ran his fingers along the cardboard and looked at the writing in marker that read “Clothes” on the side.

“So, you wanted to know where I was going to  college ? ” Jane asked.

“Yes,” he answered, almost instantly.

She handed him a letter before he opened it up and read the inside of the letter under his breath. The breath nearly escaped him once he saw the college. He double checked the emblem to see that it was from the college he thought – he  _ hoped  _ it would be. He felt a smile beam on his face before he launched himself into her arms and gave her a tight squeeze.

“Alright, alright,” she laughed. “Calm down.”

“I can’t believe it !!” he laughed.

He cupped her face and shook his head in a joyous disbelief. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of her, he was just so . . .  _ happy _ . 

“You’re going to Harvard ?”


End file.
